Importance of milking machines highlighted

Staff Report

LAHORE: Using milking machines on cows and buffalos increases the milk production of dairy farms by up to 15 percent, cuts the expense of hiring manpower and the milk yielded is more hygienic.

Two delegates from Italy and India expressed these views during a seminar, jointly organised by local company Kurdson Industries and Italian firm Interpuls. The seminar, titled ‘Milking machines for small dairy holders’, was the launching pad for a joint venture between the two firms under which some milking machine parts will be manufactured locally by Kurdson Industries to cut the price of the product in the local market. Senior officials of the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development Department and people from the farming sector attended the seminar.

Gabriele Nicolini, marketing managing director of Interpuls, gave a comprehensive presentation highlighting the importance of milking machines. He said even poor farmers in the South Asia region were being attracted to this technique for enhancing milk production, which ultimately results in the expansion of their farms.

Nicolini presented a list of products manufactured by Interpuls and spare parts which could be made locally.

Sandeep Raina, the Interpuls Asia region manager, cited examples of farmers in India who were replacing workers with milking machines. He told the audience that more and more people in India were using the milking machines. Raina also explained what methods the farmers were adopting to get cows and buffalos used to the milking machines.

In his concluding remarks, Dr Sajjad Zaheer, director general (Extension) of the Livestock and Dairy Development Department, said the prime minister and senior officials of the Punjab were adamant about developing the dairy and farming sectors in Pakistan. He said the government was in contact with various banks for the provision of small loans on easy instalments to poor farmers. He said this way the government could help farmers equip their farms with state-of-the-art instruments and ultimately meet the goals envisioned by the government for this sector.

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